Ultra-processed foods, which have been branded as synonymous with health-damaging ‘bad foods’, have been linked to heart disease, but the level of risk varies greatly depending on the specific food type.
The two worst types of ultra-processed foods are sugary drinks and processed meats, which contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners. On the other hand, items such as bread, cold cereals, yogurt, and salty snacks have been shown to have a lower risk of heart disease or are healthier.
A team of doctors at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States published the “largest and longest-running” study on ultra-processed foods and heart health ever published in the prestigious journal Lancet Regional Health this week.
The researchers first analyzed a massive dataset that followed more than 200,000 American medical professionals for 30 years. After adjusting for risk factors such as smoking, family health history, sleep, and exercise, they found that people who ate the most ultra-processed foods had an 11 percent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 16 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease compared to those who ate the least.
The researchers also combined their findings with those of 19 other studies in a separate analysis of about 1.25 million adults. They found that people who ate the most ultra-processed foods were 17 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, 23 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease, and 9 percent more likely to have a stroke than those who ate the least.
The researchers also analyzed whether certain types of ultra-processed foods were more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease.
Of the 10 categories of ultra-processed foods examined, two stood out as particularly risky: sugary drinks (such as soda and fruit juice) and processed meat, poultry and fish (such as bacon, hot dogs, chicken sausages, breaded fish products and salami sandwiches).
When these two categories were excluded from the data, most of the risks associated with eating ultra-processed foods disappeared, said Kenny Mendoza, a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who led the analysis.
Some types of ultra-processed foods have been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. These include cereals, flavored and seasoned yogurts, frozen yogurt and ice cream, and salty snacks like popcorn and crackers.
The researchers speculated that cereals and breads may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease because they are relatively high in fiber, minerals, phenolic compounds, and other whole-grain components.
For yogurt and dairy-based desserts, fortifying with vitamin B has been linked to lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Dairy desserts are typically high in saturated fat and sugar, but when they contain probiotic bacteria or short-chain fatty acids, they may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Several previous studies have also found that cereals, whole-grain breads, and yogurt do not cause or reduce the risk.
“Processed meats are often high in sodium and saturated fat, and beverages like soda tend to be high in sugar,” Maya Vadivelu, a professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island, told The New York Times. “In contrast, whole-grain cereals and breads, even ultra-processed foods, can provide important nutrients like fiber, minerals and B vitamins.”
Ultra-processed foods are increasingly expanding their scope in terms of taste, shelf life, and convenience. In the case of Americans, 58% of their daily calorie intake is filled with ultra-processed foods. In Korea, the proportion is also 26.2% (2023 Yonsei University Medical School study).
This requires selective consumption. Experts advise that reducing or eliminating processed meats and sugary drinks should be a priority, as the evidence that they are harmful to health is overwhelming.
2024-09-06 08:08:28